


When You're Ready

by lilythesilly



Series: (episode) tag, you're it! [1]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Angst ahead, Episode Tag: s04e07 The Barbecue, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:21:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29912712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilythesilly/pseuds/lilythesilly
Summary: The walk from David’s room back to the picnic table might be the longest of Patrick’s life.Patrick brings David a smattering of everything. Set during The Barbecue.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Series: (episode) tag, you're it! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118210
Comments: 24
Kudos: 104





	When You're Ready

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roguebaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roguebaby/gifts).



> It's me! Ya girl, back at it again with an angsty episode tag/coda.
> 
> prompt from Amy: I just need a short little missing scene coda thing where they have a conversation when Patrick comes back with the sliders
> 
> I don't know how much conversation there is? We'll see. Thanks to my friends for the rewatch that spawned a thousand codas, and to [nontoxic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nontoxic/pseuds/nontoxic) for the look over.

The walk from David’s room back to the picnic table might be the longest of Patrick’s life, and that includes the time he walked from the hockey rink to his mother’s car on a sprained ankle so his coach wouldn’t notice and bench him for their next game. 

Rachel is standing off to the side, fiddling with her phone, and looks up when she hears him approaching. “Patrick, what–” 

“What room are you in?” he asks. 

“Um,” she says, unbalanced. “Room three.”

Patrick nods, keeping things quick and decisive. “I’ll be there in a minute but, uh, I need to take care of something first.” 

Rachel nods and bites her lip. “I’ll meet you there.” 

The Roses all look in different directions when he approaches, like they weren’t just trying to listen in on his conversation. 

“I, um,” he says and doesn’t know where to go from that. “David needs some, um—so I’m just gonna grab him some, um—” he gives up on trying to be coherent and grabs David’s plate off of the table, awkwardly trying to add more sides while avoiding Moira and Johnny’s gazes next to him. 

He stares at the finished plate for what feels like hours before risking a glance upwards. “I think after I drop this off I should, uh, probably go.” 

Moira nods, tight-lipped. “Mm, perhaps that’s best, dear Pat.” 

Johnny gives him an anxious smile. “Yes. Maybe, uh, we can try this again another time.” 

Moira pats his arm delicately. “Oh, no, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Alexis blinks at him sadly and Stevie gives him a look that tells him he’ll definitely be seeing her later. 

David is still standing in the same place when he gets back to the room, arms crossed and gaze still focused on the floor. 

Their eyes meet when the door closes and the silence itches under his skin. He moves to place the plate of food on David’s bed, not wanting to get too close to break the delicate bubble they’re in, but thinks better of it and places it on Alexis’s bed instead—remembering David’s rant on the importance of keeping white linens pristine. 

David watches with mild interest, and Patrick feels the slightest bit of hope that if David is still somehow charmed by him, maybe he hasn’t completely messed this up. 

“So, um, your mom is still doing Pat,” he attempts to joke, but it falls flat in the quiet room. 

David makes a noncommittal noise and gives him a tight, closed lip smile. It reminds Patrick of another smile, one cautiously given over an acoustic guitar and a lifetime of promises and a world of dreams. They feel like lifetimes apart, instead of only a few days. 

Patrick lingers by the bed, itching to hold David’s hand or pull him into his arms and spend the rest of the night (and his life) apologizing for messing things up for them like this. 

But David looks like a bottle rocket ready to explode, holding on just long enough for Patrick to get the hint and leave. 

He does, loud and clear. 

But the last thing he wants is for David to feel like he doesn’t care about him. He does so much, more than any Tina Turner song could do justice. 

He feels the words on the tip of his tongue, the words that have been there since _“Well fortunately I’m a very generous person”_ and _“It’s like we’re both starting something new”_ and _“Nothing about this is desperate”_ and _“My boyfriend”_. 

But to say them now would be cruel to both of them. 

So Patrick, Take-Charge-Patrick, walks over to David and presses a gentle kiss to his cheek. A promise, that they’re gonna get through this. 

“I’ll be here when you’re ready, David,” he murmurs quietly. 

David makes a noise from the back of his throat before clearing it, giving him a quick nod before moving over to grab the plate from Alexis’s bed. 

Patrick takes the hint and risks another glance at David, staring morosely at one of the sliders before putting the whole thing into his mouth. 

He feels his lips turn down into that familiar smile, the one he hopes David knows is just for him.

And he leaves.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Tumblr](https://lilythesilly.tumblr.com), come say hi!


End file.
